Home & Health Blogs

January 2, 2018

How can we avoid colds and flu naturally? Both—along with pneumonia, strep, chicken pox, and norovirus infections (“stomach flu”)—rise dramatically during the winter months. We even suffer more (and more damaging) heart attacks and strokes during winter.
Why Do People Get Colds and the Flu in the Winter?
The answers are complex, elusive, and still evolving.
For a long time, experts told us that we catch more colds and flu in winter because we huddle together indoors in poorly ventilated... more

December 18, 2017

If you grow (at least some of) your own food, prefer scratch cooking at home to dining out/ordering in, and aim to eat for optimal health, you’re already in sync with many of the major food and food gardening trends prognosticated for 2018.
You may even be part of the driving force that’s been moving these trends forward for years. Let’s focus on a few:
Flowers and flower-flavors
Edible flowers and flower extracts made everybody’s trend list this year, showing up in high-end food products... more

December 14, 2017

At some point, most of us will experience the sometimes debilitating and always irritating effects of a headache. But not all headaches are created equal. Learn about the many different types of headaches and headache treatments.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of headache who’s who, there are some things you can do now to stave off a headache. Let down your locks. Seriously. Tight pony tails, braids, headbands and even swim goggles can send you down the rabbit hole. And brace yourself... more

December 13, 2017

Most DIY bodycare articles seem to aim exclusively at women. But both men and women may have similar concerns about the products they use on their bodies, and like women, some men have taken to making their own. See our recipes below. Or, you can make the ultimate homemade gift for someone in your life!
Lose the flowery scents, add a spicier one (or not), and the homemade products work well for men. When made from a few readily available ingredients, the homemade products are generally much... more

December 13, 2017

We subscribe to our local daily newspaper and a couple of Sunday papers, so even though hard times have rendered newspapers a lot thinner than they used to be, the papers tend to build up. Here are a few ways we like to reuse our newspapers around the home and garden!
How to Reuse Newspapers
In the Garden
With two woodstoves in continuous use from late November through April, we use most of our winter newspapers as fire starters. The ashes we don’t use to provide traction on icy walkways, we... more

December 6, 2017

The snowy owl is coming! This giant rare owl—which breeds in the Arctic tundra—was last seen in the northern U.S. four years ago. If you missed it then, you may be in luck!
Where Do Snowy Owls Live?
These large circumpolar owls live in the Arctic in open tundra. Because it’s flat and treeless, snowy owls tend to perch right on the ground or on short posts.
Some of you may recall when thousands of snowy owls descended four years ago in winter of 2013–14. It was the largest snowy owl irruption (... more

December 4, 2017

Peanut butter sure is delicious, but did you know that it’s useful, too? From shaving cream and leather polish to mousetrap bait, here are some of the best household uses for peanut butter.
Warning: If you or a family member suffers from a peanut allergy, please do not try these solutions.
According to the National Peanut Board, Dr. George Washington Carver developed more than 300 products from the humble peanut. They include face powder, shampoo, paper, shaving cream, hand lotion, insecticides... more

November 29, 2017

Have you experienced thinning hair or hair loss? Here are the causes and natural remedies.
When did it start? Perhaps you first noticed more hair than usual accumulating around the shower drain, or your hair brush looks as though it was just used to groom the dog.
Whatever the case, hair loss can really get you down. The average person sheds between 50 and 100 strands per day. With approximately 100,000 strands on an entire head, the loss is hardly noticeable and is quickly replaced with new... more

November 21, 2017

Facing some health issues this fall, I turned my mind toward how to make holiday meals that would minimize exertion but maximize variety and flavor. For some reason, instead of frozen casseroles, stews, lasagnes, and quiches, two words popped into my mind: bowls and boards!
Bowls, boards, mugs, and platters offer up the variety of foods that guests enjoy without endless cooking. Work smarter, not harder!
Here are some examples:
Cheese board. Mix the flavors, such as a soft Brie with a... more

November 20, 2017

At Thanksgiving, we think of the American Wild Turkey which has graced many a plate since the early settlers arrived in the early 1600s. The Wild Turkey needs no introduction so perhaps a brief history about our native bird is in order.
Brief History of Wild Turkeys
In the early 1800’s, Alexander Wilson provided so much information on the natural history of the turkey in his encyclopedic American Ornithology that John James Audubon was unable to truly improve on the knowledge of the species... more